Don't have an account?

Favorite Schools

Favorite Teams

Knocked down, knocked out, former Indianapolis Colts WR Austin Collie has come a long way to join New England Patriots in the postseason

Tom Brady, Austin Collie

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) and wide receiver Austin Collie (10) run during a stretching session before NFL football practice at the team's facility in Foxborough, Mass., Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2014. The Patriots are scheduled to host the Indianapolis Colts in an NFL football divisional playoff game on Saturday, Jan. 11. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

FOXBOROUGH – There was likely a moment during the offseason
when Austin Collie looked at his phone, saw that he had no notifications,
and wondered if the call would ever come.

When the New England Patriots signed him for the first time on Oct. 3,
Collie had been out of work for a month, and was coming off an offseason during
which he spent time recovering from ruptured tendon in his knee. But that
wasn't his only problem. The wide receiver suffered his third known concussion
during the 2012 season and told USA Today that he would be willing to sign a
waiver taking responsibility for his own health if a team was willing to take a
chance on him.

That may seem dramatic, but Collie didn't suffer a mild concussion in which you go to the sideline, someone shines a light in your eyes, and you're back practicing Wednesday. He's been knocked out cold and taken off the field on a stretcher. These were serious.

So after the San Francisco 49ers released him coming out of
training camp, there was likely a moment of doubt. It was certainly there
when he offered to sign a waiver, and it likely came back again. But that
feeling made him appreciate it even more when the Patriots finally
dialed his number in October.

"You sometimes take it for granted when you don't have the
opportunity to step away," Collie said. "You definitely realize how much fun it
is and how much you love it when you're watching from home."

If the world were fair, the 6-foot, 204-pound wide receiver
would have immediately dropped in and been the difference-maker the Patriots
were seeking in their receiving corps during the weeks leading up to Halloween.
Unfortunately, things didn't work out that way for the former fourth-round
pick of the Indianapolis Colts.

He bounced on and off of the roster and finished with six
catches for 63 yards. Initially, it appeared the Patriots may have found a gem in Collie. The wide receiver spent much his first game --
an Oct. 13 meeting against the New Orleans Saints -- watching from the
sidelines, but got a chance to play when Danny Amendola was knocked
out of action in the second half.

On the final drive of the 30-27 victory, Collie caught a
short pass over the middle and ran for a 15-yard gain, and later caught a pass to convert on fourth-and-four, setting up the game-winning touchdown.

He saw an uptick in playing time the next two games against the New York Jets and
Miami Dolphins, but caught just one pass for 10 yards. He injured his knee the
following week against the Pittsburgh Steelers and was released days later.

Collie returned home to heal, hoping he would get another chance. He didn't allow himself to get too low. These were the breaks that he knew all too well, and it didn't take much for him to justify why he lost his job. "There needed to be a roster spot," he said.

His phone stayed silent for a month. Finally, on Dec. 5,
with Kenbrell Thompkins (hip) and Aaron Dobson (foot), fighting injuries, the
Patriots called again. Collie caught a pass against the Cleveland Browns in his
first game back, and then two for 25 yards against the Miami Dolphins. Things
appeared to be going well, but Dobson returned for the Week 16 game against the
Baltimore Ravens, Collie played one snap and was released days later.

"I knew this year was going to be tough and I knew this year
was going to have its bumps in the road," he said. "There was no
offseason for me, recovering from my knee and whatnot.

"My main thing is every time I show up here I want to get
better. ... I kind of had the mentality, I expect there to be bumps in the road.
Really didn't take me by surprise, it really didn't throw me off my routine."

But that wasn't the end of the road. Dobson
reinjured his foot in the regular season finale and Collie was brought back last week
to join the Patriots for their playoff run. As fate would have it, it will
put him back on the field against the same Colts team for which he caught
173 passes for 1,845 yards and 16 touchdowns during his first four seasons in
the league.

With Dobson yet to practice and wearing a walking boot as
recently as Wednesday, there's a good chance Collie will be given the
opportunity to contribute as the fourth receiver behind Amendola,
Thompkins and Julian Edelman. It will be a nice reunion for Collie, and he
looks forward to seeing his former teammates, but his focus is on winning the
game.

"I look forward a few guys that I built relationships with
there," he said. "To me, we gotta win. It's all about advancing, and
there's where my mindset is."

Or, in other words, it's chance to create a bump in the road
for someone else.